Robert James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence, on CNN about the insane truck killer in France:

“We are not going to win just by getting more and more vigilant, or even improving our intelligence, and so forth. We’ve got to destroy ISIS. Bin Laden said it very well once, oddly enough, he said people see a strong horse and a weak horse, and I like the strong horse better. We’ve got to be the strong horse. We’ve got to win not only in Syria and Iraq, we’ve got to crush ISIS in the West.”

The most disturbing news these days for Hill camp is that a multi-million dollar ad buy in Florida utterly failed ($1 million per week in Orlando market, their biggest buy nationwide). Despite the saturation of air waves, amid no ads aired by Trump forces, Clinton’s numbers in the state actually faltered. This is exactly what Trump’s GOP foes discovered in the party’s primary races — attack ads don’t hurt him, no matter how much is spent.

They have budgeted $158 million for battleground state TV ads and just learned in their first test run they’re worthless. Can’t imagine the heads rolling in Brooklyn.

By SJWNY, a Trail Mix Contributor

No one will ever pass a Purity Test: for every one part angel you’ll find two parts a-hole in each of us. Especially in regards to Politicians …. but some are preferable over others.

The 2016 Presidential Election is shaping up to be a turning point in American history. Not only for the candidacy of Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton but for the choice by the voter of what America will become. It is no exaggeration to stress just how important every vote is this year.

Senator Sanders took a path of positivity with his endorsement of Secretary Clinton. The Democratic Party chose unity & inclusiveness over division & exclusiveness. The Republicans have a presumptive nominee whom they would like to leave by the side of the road.

There are a number of voters who do not like or trust Secretary Clinton. I understand. Whatever my misgivings, though, I know she is sane, intelligent & has a clue about most everything. I would not be worried if she answered “that call” at 3 am. I would if her Republican opponent did.

Please vote November 8th. Vote for down ticket races, vote for President – even if you have to hold your nose & swear while doing it. And vote for the Democratic Candidates. Because if you don’t, Donald J. Trump & the Republicans win.

So how will history remember you? I already know my verdict. And I’m OK with it.

Bernie Sanders is set to endorse Hillary today, but the New York Times’ Amy Chozick wonders if it’s “too little, too late.” The Sanders “revolution is appears to be ending with a whisper rather than a roar.” Clinton is polling well enough among Sanders supporters, has secured the enthusiastic support of Elizabeth Warren and hired several of his former campaign staffers. Still, Chozick asks, “Will they hug?”

UPDATE (1pm): They hugged!

By Flatus, a Trail Mix Contributor

My trip to Cleveland was revelatory. Not for the fact that many, many people loved and respected my Aunt Eleanor, I already knew that. The revelation was that the upside economy is finally hitting the grassroots. Let me tell you how I know.

When traveling up I-77 I always expect delays going through Charlotte early in the morning; that’s the way it is. The surprise was in leaving town.

Five miles north of the city they were digging up the substantial median between the north and south bound lanes. In the space being stripped of trees and excess soil were dozens of new pieces of construction equipment. Bulldozers, scrapers, back-hoes, maintenance trucks, you name-it. Each piece was working to beat the band.

The most significant thing about the construction equipment was that most of what I observed was made by Caterpillar. Korean and Japanese machines were also-rans. Did (I didn’t) say that the length of the construction area approached ten miles in length. My guesstimate is that there was at least 200 machines total involved and probably closer to 350.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the ratio of people to machine isn’t 3:1. So, new jobs in that ten-mile stretch equals about 1,000 on the ground. Then we must add in all the manufacturing jobs as well. And later we must add gravel and sand and concrete and new landscaping. Such a deal!

Did it stop there? Of course not. In West Virginia I saw dozens of semi-loads of virgin timbers cut to length for fabrication projects. That was in addition to hundreds of pallets of planks made for the housing market. Each piece of wood was grown in farmed-timber areas; it is renewable. And the products made from it are labor intensive. It sounds to me like a no-brainer for people who are expelled from the mines.

Well, enough for now. If this is interesting to others, there is still Virginia and Ohio that I drove through. Suffice to say, I was vastly encouraged by what I saw.